RHH | Side Story 1.1

Sardilia is a quiet, unremarkable city located by the coast. In one corner of this city stood a small antiquarian bookstore. Dealing in old books—hardly a profitable business—the shop rarely saw any customers.

As noon approached, the bookstore opened its doors. The owner, who had just unlocked the heavy padlock, first opened the windows to air out the place. The musty smell of old paper wafted out through the windows.

While airing out the shop, the owner finished cleaning the interior and then stepped outside with a broom. As he swept away the fallen leaves and trash left behind by drunkards from the night before, a group of children ran past. Some of them waved at him.

“Leehwan hyung!”

“Hyung, good morning!”

The owner of the bookstore, Leehwan, waved lightly at the noisy children. His expression remained stoic, which somehow made the scene amusing, but the children seemed satisfied and giggled.

Just then, the window of the flower shop next door opened. The person who appeared was none other than Absalom.

“Leehwan, it’s time for lunch.”

The children stared at Absalom with their mouths agape. No matter how many times they saw him, his beauty was always overwhelming. Unlike them, Leehwan responded to Absalom’s words with his usual indifferent expression.

“Alright.”

Seeing Absalom in an apron looked so natural that Leehwan couldn’t help but smile. As long as Leehwan was smiling, Absalom didn’t care about the reason and smiled back.

“I made the seafood stew you wanted yesterday, so come quickly. It’ll taste bad if it gets cold.”

“I’ll be right there. You kids should go play now.”

The last part was for the children. They snapped out of their daze and started whispering among themselves. They probably thought Leehwan couldn’t hear them.

“See? They’re definitely dating.”

“But hyung said they’re just friends.”

“You believe that?”

Then they caught Leehwan’s eye and awkwardly laughed. Leehwan waved them off nonchalantly. The children waved back energetically and ran off.

“You’re popular, Leehwan.”

Absalom, who had been watching them from the window, remarked. Leehwan shook his head.

Last year, there was a commotion in the neighborhood when some children didn’t return home late at night. The only place left unchecked was the mountain on the outskirts of the city. However, the mountain at night was dangerous even for adults.

Leehwan stopped the parents, who were screaming about going to search, and entered the mountain himself. With his keen night vision and physical abilities far surpassing an average person’s, it was a manageable risk. He found the children huddled together, shivering halfway up the mountain.

After this incident, the attitude of the nearby residents noticeably softened. Except for the occasional grumbling about Absalom being the ideal son-in-law or something equally incomprehensible, everything was pleasant.

After entering the bookstore and washing his dusty hands, Leehwan crossed over to Absalom’s flower shop. Absalom greeted him, hung a “Closed for Lunch” sign on the door, and closed it.

Click.

The door locked with a small sound. As soon as Absalom turned around, Leehwan closed the distance between them. Absalom met him, and their lips parted.

After a few light brushes, their lips finally met deeply. Even after countless kisses, it was still a heart-pounding moment. Their tongues intertwined, and their breaths mingled. Their bodies, now pressed together, heated up as if they had always been one.

Absalom’s fingers, which had been gently caressing Leehwan’s black hair, brushed against the nape of his neck. Leehwan shivered, causing their lips to part. Leehwan panted and spoke.

“The seafood stew.”

“You started it today.”

“You said it’ll taste bad if it gets cold.”

Leehwan said this while stealing another quick kiss from Absalom’s wet lips. Absalom sighed, muttering something that sounded like a groan.

“You’ve become so naughty, Leehwan.”

“You’re the one who’s been acting up.”

Leehwan smirked and patted Absalom’s waist pointedly. It seemed to be a complaint about last night. Absalom, aware of how clingy he had been all night, had no retort. He simply followed Leehwan meekly to the dining table.

Sardilia, facing the sea, had a developed cuisine centered around seafood. Absalom often adapted these dishes to suit Leehwan’s tastes. Leehwan picked out the mussel shells and set them aside before sipping the broth. Seeing Leehwan’s satisfied expression, Absalom, who had been watching him the whole time, smiled.

Absalom picked up a loaf of bread from the basket and tore it apart. The bread, fresh out of the oven just before Leehwan arrived, was still warm. He generously spread butter and jam on the soft, white surface and handed it to Leehwan. Leehwan accepted it and ate it without hesitation.

“You should eat too.”

Leehwan also spread butter and jam on a piece of bread and handed it to Absalom. Absalom accepted it eagerly and finally picked up his utensils. As he ladled the stew, he spoke.

“I’m planning to go to the flower market early tomorrow morning. I might stop by the nearby grain market while I’m at it.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“We’ll be leaving before sunrise… You can stay and sleep, though.”

Though he said that, it was obvious Absalom’s shoulders would droop if Leehwan said, “Then I won’t go.” Instead, Leehwan responded differently.

“Then if you put me to bed early, there’ll be no problem.”

“Ah…”

Leehwan pretended not to notice Absalom’s flustered expression and continued eating.

He enjoyed sex with Absalom. The pleasure was so overwhelming that sometimes he thought it would be fine to die like this.

Above all, Leehwan loved seeing Absalom at night. The look in Absalom’s eyes as he drove Leehwan wild was more ferocious, darker, and more desperate than during the day. Leehwan often thought this side of him might be closer to his true self. That’s why he wanted to give Absalom everything he desired.

But there had to be limits. Sometimes, they needed nights where they could just sleep peacefully. Knowing he’d give in the moment Absalom looked at him with those eyes, Leehwan occasionally set boundaries like this.

Eventually, Absalom nodded weakly. Leehwan’s lips curved faintly.

After the meal, Leehwan was in charge of washing the dishes. As he finished and turned around, Absalom wrapped Leehwan’s wet hands in a towel. While diligently drying them, Absalom asked, “You said new books came in today? I’ll come by later to pick them up.”

“It’s fine…”

“I’ll come by sunset.”

Absalom rarely interrupted, and his expression was firm. Leehwan couldn’t argue, as he had often gotten so absorbed in reading new books that he lost track of time.

“Alright.”

Seeing Leehwan surrender, Absalom smiled brightly. He lightly kissed Leehwan’s forehead and said, “See you later.”

Leehwan crossed back to the bookstore, absentmindedly touching his forehead. The spot where Absalom’s lips had touched felt oddly ticklish.

Before he knew it, the sun had set, and dusk had fallen. As Absalom had predicted, Leehwan, absorbed in his books, only looked up when the text became too hard to read. It was then that he remembered Absalom had said he’d come by.

The room was silent except for Leehwan’s presence. But since he had missed Absalom’s presence before, Leehwan called out to confirm.

“Rlom?”

There was no response. Leehwan quickly tidied up and left the bookstore. It didn’t take long to figure out why Absalom hadn’t come.

There was a customer in the flower shop. Seeing the familiar uninvited guest, Leehwan frowned. Just then, his eyes met Absalom’s. For some reason, Absalom seemed displeased by Leehwan’s arrival. Since Absalom wouldn’t feel that way, Leehwan dismissed it as a misunderstanding and entered the flower shop.

“I’m here, Rlom.”

The uninvited guest turned to look at Leehwan. Beneath the luxurious, flowing golden hair was a sharp, handsome face. Joshua Grassian. The only son of the wealthy magnate who controlled the city’s commerce.

Three years ago, Leehwan and Absalom had saved Joshua from a monster attack. Since then, Joshua, who had fallen for Absalom, would often visit the flower shop to chat.

“Welcome, Leehwan.”

Joshua waved his hand flamboyantly. Leehwan raised his hand with his usual stoic expression. It was his way of greeting, but Joshua didn’t seem satisfied. He strode over and grabbed Leehwan’s wrist, lifting it.

“Why are you always so lifeless? Wave with some energy, like this.”

Leehwan let his hand flutter like an autumn leaf. This wasn’t the first time, after all. This meaningless action only stopped when Absalom intervened.

Joshua continued to ramble about trivial matters for a long time before finally leaving the flower shop. Leehwan and Absalom faced each other and sighed.

If things had gone as planned, they would have been home by now, cooking together. In the end, Leehwan made a suggestion.

“Let’s eat out tonight.”

“I was going to make the salmon steak you like…”

Absalom muttered regretfully. Though the salmon steak was tempting, considering they had to leave early the next morning, it was better to eat out. They headed to a nearby restaurant.

The walk home after dinner was quiet. Leehwan glanced at Absalom walking beside him. The scars from long ago had faded, and his face showed no trace of the nearly hundred years that had passed. And it was the same for Leehwan, whose physical time had been frozen.

Leehwan quietly took Absalom’s hand. After a brief moment of surprise, Absalom clasped it back. Seeing the faint blush on Absalom’s pale cheek, Leehwan smiled. This, too, was one of the things that hadn’t changed.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

The next day, Leehwan and Absalom left the house at dawn. Since they would be bringing back a large quantity of flowers, they took a cart. Absalom sat in the driver’s seat, and Leehwan sat beside him.

Leehwan recalled the first time Absalom had sat in the driver’s seat. Back then, it had been so mismatched that he couldn’t help but laugh. Now, it suited him quite well.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m glad we came here.”

Settling in this city had been a whim. Tired of their continuous travels, they had accompanied Joshua to this city and ended up staying. Though Joshua was a nuisance, being able to see different sides of Absalom made it worthwhile.

Upon arriving at the flower market, they spent the entire morning browsing and purchasing flowers. Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. They headed to a restaurant they frequented whenever they visited the market. The gruff owner grilled steaks to perfection. Absalom noticed the faint joy on Leehwan’s usually stoic face.

“Which do you like better, my cooking or the steak from that place?”

Leehwan chuckled. But Absalom looked quite serious.

“You get fixated on the strangest things sometimes.”

“Fixated? It’s my right.”

Absalom tugged at Leehwan’s sleeve, urging him to answer quickly. Leehwan wasn’t sure where he had learned such coquettish behavior, but it oddly suited him. So, Leehwan obliged.

“Well, of course…”

Suddenly, he saw the expectant look on Absalom’s face. Should he just say the steak was better? Leehwan was feeling a bit mischievous.

A sharp cry echoed through the air. It was the cry of a wyvern, something they hadn’t heard in a while. The sound, growing closer, was filled with rage.